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"I need a new PC!" 2010 Edition
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Stormtrooper30
Member
Alright guys, final pass of inspection before I pull the trigger. I'm mostly concerned with the mobo right now. If I want to go SLI gtx 460's down the road, will I be able to?
Hey GAF! Help me out 
I'm looking to get a new PC, but I DONT need anything CUTTING EDGE... I just want to play SC2 on decent graphics and have it run smoothly + watch movies + dink around in photoshop.
I'm way out of the loop, and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction? I'd like blue-ray capabilities... if that isn't too costly these days.
Budget: Less than $1000
Again, I do not need extreme cutting edge... just something that runs NICE with more emphasis on silent fans, and a nicer screen than say.. 8gb ram and the most intense gfx card out there (although would like options to upgrade if I ever catch a sale on a better gfx?)
That would be GREATLY appreciated, as I hope to jump in on the SC2 action asap
I'm looking to get a new PC, but I DONT need anything CUTTING EDGE... I just want to play SC2 on decent graphics and have it run smoothly + watch movies + dink around in photoshop.
I'm way out of the loop, and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction? I'd like blue-ray capabilities... if that isn't too costly these days.
Budget: Less than $1000
Again, I do not need extreme cutting edge... just something that runs NICE with more emphasis on silent fans, and a nicer screen than say.. 8gb ram and the most intense gfx card out there (although would like options to upgrade if I ever catch a sale on a better gfx?)
That would be GREATLY appreciated, as I hope to jump in on the SC2 action asap
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Here she is. Went with Zalman heatsink. Just need to change that bios setting that lets me plug it's 3 pink connector into the 4 pin and still have speed control. Got some low RPM Silenx. Don't push as much air as the one's I had, but they're very very quiet, and with the giant side intake I think I'll be good.
Rather than put all the HDD together, I put the main drive in the top cage, and the two other drives in the lower cage.
Inside.
Outside.
Rather than put all the HDD together, I put the main drive in the top cage, and the two other drives in the lower cage.
Inside.
Outside.
Chip N Chance
Member
So im pretty much a noob when it comes to rebuilding PC's with new parts. But since my computer is from Fall 06, im about due. Ive settled on these parts to rebuild my computer, and i was just looking for your guy's opinion on it all. Like if its balanced, or if i need to swap something out for another. Everything not listed below i already have (large Case, HDD, 1000W supply, and DVD drives), and the rest im just gonna throw out. My 7950 GX2 has gotten waaay to loud, and hot for my comfort :lol. All this stuff comes out to $845.94.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130563
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130563
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Chip N Chance said:
Definitely up the Graphics to the 1gb model. I have heard great things about this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...333&cm_re=gigabyte_460-_-14-125-333-_-Product
Dunno if this was posted but Nvidia price drops.
http://www.kitguru.net/components/g...rices-slashed-again-gtx470-down-more-than-21/
http://www.kitguru.net/components/g...rices-slashed-again-gtx470-down-more-than-21/
TouchMyBox
Member
Chip N Chance said:
Don't waste your time and money with three sticks of memory. Either get 2 sticks or 4 sticks with that motherboard.
Felix Lighter
Member
Chip N Chance said:
Go for a dual channel memory kit like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&cm_re=gskill_ddr3_1600-_-20-231-277-_-Product
And use the saving to get the 1GB GTX 460 like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-125-333-_-Product
Edit: Weird.
Stormtrooper30 said:
I do not believe so. Only Crossfire support is listed and even then its limited, and 3 of the reviews mention limited/no SLI support. Pretty much the same build I just put together, different memory stick is all.
Chip N Chance spend the extra $20 for the 1g version of the 460, its worth it. If you stay with EVGA ask in the SC2 thread if anyone has the discount coupon from the CE they aren't using. According the Blackface's link 768's may also see a price drop as well since they aren't moving if that's the model you really wanted to go for. ( I still say get the 1g)
brain_stew
Member
Chip N Chance said:
You're buying a triple channel RAM kit for a dual channel board. Get 2X2GB or 2x4GB instead.
Stormtrooper30 said:
This mobo supports PCI-E dual at x8/x8, but it does not have USB 3.0 or SATA 6 GB/s:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.466017
Edit: It's worth noting that USB 3.0 and SATA 6 GB/s drops down to USB 2.0 and SATA 3 GB/s when using crossfire/SLI on a P55 mobo. So, if you find a crossfire/sli mobo with USB 3.0/SATA 6 GB/s, realize that if you implement the crossfire/sli, the faster USB/SATA is moot.
Stormtrooper30
Member
Oh, thanks for that. The SLI won't come into play for a few years when the single 460 starts to get burdened by the current graphics, so I can just upgrade the mobo at that point.desh said:
Stormtrooper30 said:
It all comes down to how much you think you're going to take advantage of USB 3.0 and/or SATA 6 Gb/s before you get that second graphics card; because you can't use both the faster USB/SATA and an SLI setup with the Core i5/P55 cup/mobo combo.
From Newegg's info on the Gigabyte UD4P mobo:
Stormtrooper30
Member
If I OC this setup will I need any sort of extra cooling? Reason I ask is that I'm also about to place an Amazon order.Stormtrooper30 said:Alright guys, final pass of inspection before I pull the trigger. I'm mostly concerned with the mobo right now. If I want to go SLI gtx 460's down the road, will I be able to?
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Stormtrooper30 said:
Generally if you're going to OC, you want to pick up something better than the stock cooler.
Good to know you got a P193 Forester.
I have one but the side fan is off since my CPU cooler was too tall. That's the only downside to the case, a shorter CPU cooler is really needed.
I still have all the stock fans in mine and don't find it to be loud at all. When i build a new PC next year though i think i will replace them all with better and quieter fans, only because i can :lol
It's an awesome case. Check the dust filters once a week, if it's on a carpet floor then those babies will fill up pretty quickly.
I have one but the side fan is off since my CPU cooler was too tall. That's the only downside to the case, a shorter CPU cooler is really needed.
I still have all the stock fans in mine and don't find it to be loud at all. When i build a new PC next year though i think i will replace them all with better and quieter fans, only because i can :lol
It's an awesome case. Check the dust filters once a week, if it's on a carpet floor then those babies will fill up pretty quickly.
http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpgDualShadow said:Hi guys/gals,
I'm looking to build my first PC, never built one before just bought what was already put together at whatever store.
Budget: $1500 (willing to go over if needed)
Location: NSW, Australia
Main Use: Gaming, Work(Remote desktop connections mostly)
Monitors: Will need at least 2
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: StarCraft 2 (I'm kinda assuming if it can run Star Craft 2 it will be able to run most other current games on decent settings).
Question: Do you guys normally put it together yourself or is it worth getting it done somewhere else, only ask cause I don't really have the time to put it all together myself.
Any and all help will be much appreciated!
If you run VM's I'd suggest getting an x6.
a solid 650W can but getting a 750W is much easier and gives you some more headroom. If you are getting a 650W make sure it has 4x6 pin connectors.REV 09 said:
http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpg Get the alternative motherboard I listed. It has an extra chip to provide bandwidth so you don't lose SATA / USB speed.Stormtrooper30 said:Alright guys, final pass of inspection before I pull the trigger. I'm mostly concerned with the mobo right now. If I want to go SLI gtx 460's down the road, will I be able to?
If I OC this setup will I need any sort of extra cooling? Reason I ask is that I'm also about to place an Amazon order
More cooling is better. See the bottom of the image.
i7-860 is 1156. 4 cores, 8 threads (via HT). Not useful for many, i5-750 is the way to go.Midas said:
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Midas said:
It's not that there aren't better, it's that they really aren't going to give you enough to justify the increase in cost. Some of them while having better specs wouldn't even really be noticeable.
I'm in the market for a new pc. Looking into a mini so migrating it would be less of a hassle.
Budget: ~800 - 900 US$
Main Use: Photoshop, Gaming, Media Center
Was planning on skimping on the video card for the time being to keep the final price to 800-ish, but plan to get a high-end card late September. I wanna be able to run SC2 right off the bat at decent settings, but as I'll be getting a card in a little over a month, I'm not too particular about performance.
Skimmed through a lot of the thread and pretty sold on the idea of a samsung F3 1tb HDD with a SSD for OS, but not sure which would be the best.
Now, obviously, going for a mini desktop limits some choices. I'm not sure about mobos, vid cards, and other minor things that come with the more compact package. Also have no idea about cases, but monitor and accessories like mouse and keyboard are covered.
Thanks to the all those helping us newbies!
Budget: ~800 - 900 US$
Main Use: Photoshop, Gaming, Media Center
Was planning on skimping on the video card for the time being to keep the final price to 800-ish, but plan to get a high-end card late September. I wanna be able to run SC2 right off the bat at decent settings, but as I'll be getting a card in a little over a month, I'm not too particular about performance.
Skimmed through a lot of the thread and pretty sold on the idea of a samsung F3 1tb HDD with a SSD for OS, but not sure which would be the best.
Now, obviously, going for a mini desktop limits some choices. I'm not sure about mobos, vid cards, and other minor things that come with the more compact package. Also have no idea about cases, but monitor and accessories like mouse and keyboard are covered.
Thanks to the all those helping us newbies!
brain_stew
Member
DrForester said:
I still say the i7-860 is worth some consideration at least, it should age pretty damn well and considering some are selling it for near $200 its probably not a bad investment.
Chip N Chance
Member
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the Ram mistake, and for sugesting the 1GB card. I ended up saving some cash. Thanks again
brain_stew
Member
Unicorn said:
I'd go for a Silverstone Sugo for the case/PSU and that gives you a pretty decent selection of H55 M-ITX motherboards to choose from. Zotac and Gigabyte both have boards that support dedicated graphics despite their size. The best GPU you'd be able to support would be a 5770 1GB, I'd say.
Edit:
This thing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=silverstone_sugo-_-11-163-149-_-Product
I've experimented with OCing today after having OCCT running overnight with no errors. I'm somewhat understanding the idea of BCLKxMultiplier=CPU speed but past that I'm kind of clueless. I'm not sure what to set the ram to each time I change the BCLK or the Multiplier and I'm not sure if a higher multiplier and a lower BCLK is better or worse than a lower multiplier and higher BCLK. I also am somewhat clueless on setting the core voltage aside from understanding that if I run into errors testing, I should raise the core voltage slightly. Anyone have any advice or pointers on how to understand all of this and maximize my CPU's potential without running into any risks? I've read a little bit on overclock.net, but I figured I'd ask here since you guys helped me figure out what to buy in the first place.
brain_stew
Member
Unicorn said:
Its fantastic for both. The multithreading won't really help you at all in gaming yet but it likely will do in the future.
Since you're looking at this sort of level of performance I guess a m-itx build is probably out of the qustion, you're best off with a standard m-atx build if you want a quad core in there.
Would a simple mATX case like this be fine?Unicorn said:
7.2"x16"x16"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154094
Then consult this: http://i.imgur.com/A55hA.jpg
i5 + an mATX H55 board better for PS and gaming, but a budget AM3 board and a x635 will save you some cash and still get the job done nicely.
You can fiddle a bit but I'd have a starting range of something like 200*20 = 4GhzMairu said:
with your RAM on 2:10 / 2:16 so you can run at 1333 or 1600
Voltage at 1.35V
That actually looks like a great compromise. Would only move it around a few times a month for LANning homeworld 2, Titan Quest... with the occasional gaming party of various RTS such as Starcraft 2.Hazaro said:
Price-wise is the i-7 better over the i-5? Hoping for this rig to last a handful of years with minimal upgrading.
Would you recommend starting that high at 4Ghz and going lower if it's unstable or starting low (this is what I'm doing now) and incrementally increasing until errors occur?Hazaro said:
I'm also not sure how to totally configure the ram settings as 2:10 or 2:16 or whatever. Currently I have been letting the motherboard do most of the work, with XMP on and having it set the ram to 1600 or whatever is closest below that.
Is it even totally feasible for my i5 to run at 4Ghz with the Hyper N520? I wasn't totally sure that I could get it that high with my existing setup.
i5 much better. AM3 has the upgrade path if you want to stay on the same motherboard.Unicorn said:
I didn't realize how cheap H55 boards were though...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130264
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131623
Manually set your RAM timings and voltage (do not let it go over 1.65V)Mairu said:
Here's a simple little guide that hopefully can clear up some questions you have.
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_750_overclocking_guide,1.html
Aesius
Member
(repost for new page)
Need some GPU advice, GAF.
Currently have an ATI Radeon 4850 (the actual made by ATI version). Great card performance wise, but it is getting ridiculously hot. With fan speed around 50% it idles at 70c, and reaches 100c playing Crysis at 1080p with the fan speed at 70%.
I've read the card can actually handle temps up to 120c (!), but I just don't like the idea of having a component reaching boiling point inside my case.
Ideally, I'd like to just buy some Arctic Silver Ceramique and reseat the HSF. But I'm wary because I've never done that before (is it difficult?), and I've read conflicting things on how much the temps would drop.
Would I be better off buying a better cooler for it?
Need some GPU advice, GAF.
Currently have an ATI Radeon 4850 (the actual made by ATI version). Great card performance wise, but it is getting ridiculously hot. With fan speed around 50% it idles at 70c, and reaches 100c playing Crysis at 1080p with the fan speed at 70%.
I've read the card can actually handle temps up to 120c (!), but I just don't like the idea of having a component reaching boiling point inside my case.
Ideally, I'd like to just buy some Arctic Silver Ceramique and reseat the HSF. But I'm wary because I've never done that before (is it difficult?), and I've read conflicting things on how much the temps would drop.
Would I be better off buying a better cooler for it?
BigBlackGamer
Member
JudgeN said:Is that the HAF X? Is so good man
I need to post some pics of my HAF X cable job :lol
Yea the HAF X is a BEAST. lovin it.
AkIRA_22 said:
I got my 930 to 4.2 GHZ stable. ran prime overnight. H50 is awesome.
You undo 4 screws, clean it, put a BB-pea sized ball of paste (or spread it thin with a plastic card), screw it back on.Aesius said:
A good thermal paste application can drop temps by 5-20C so that might just fix your problem by itself without having to buy a new cooler.
BrassMonkey1010
Member
BrassMonkey1010 said:
Just to update anyone interested, turns out this motherboard only has two sensors built in, so the third temp is not a real calculation. I've been using this pc a ton the last two days and everything has been perfect!!! All my temps have been nice and cool, everything seems stable. Thanks for the help on my first build(now I gotta get back to starcraft 2!)
Stormtrooper30
Member
The only problem with that ASUS is the qualified vendor list of memory that works with it. All the memory I've tried to find that they list as "qualified" on their website is not on Newegg. So if I stick with the Gigabyte that I have now, I'll have to buy a new mobo down the line if I want SLI, correct?Hazaro said:
Most likely it will work fine. There are only a few very specific RAM issues with mobos.Stormtrooper30 said:
If you are bothered you can sub in these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226103
or these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
But if that MIR comes through you save $20 vs the G.Skills
Spiderjericho
Member
Hazaro said:
Would using the Hyper 212 cooler allow you to safely overclock that processor to 4 Ghz and maintain good temperatures?
And the reason why some are recommending the 8XX is because of the hyperthreading plus 4 cores?
I want to build a new PC that can help me use GNS3 (a network simulator, it's pretty cpu hungry). I was considering the AMD X6 but viewing the performance charts shows the Intel is superior (yes, yes, six cores...programs that will one day utilize them makes it somewhat futureproof).
Stormtrooper30
Member
Well hell, it's too expensive to get the ASUS p7p55 e-pro because it would mess up all the combos and such and I would pay much more. If I ever want sli in the future I'll just buy another mobo and deal with it then. My head hurts right now and I need a PC that works.
My build is up there somewhere. With 5 fans in my Antec 300 and the Hyper 212 cooling the CPU, I should be good to go with OCing, no? Also, how difficult is it to OC with the GA-P55A-UD3 LGA ?
My build is up there somewhere. With 5 fans in my Antec 300 and the Hyper 212 cooling the CPU, I should be good to go with OCing, no? Also, how difficult is it to OC with the GA-P55A-UD3 LGA ?
kittoo
Cretinously credulous
Guys need urgent help here...please...
About 3-4 days ago, my PC automatically shut down without any warning..just BAM!
I tried to reboot it, but what happened was that it would try to reboot and then shutdown again after a few seconds. Sometimes after 2 seconds, sometimes after 5-10. And very rarely it will boot properly. Then while running it might shut down after 5-10 minutes or sometimes it just keeps running until the next time I get the same problem.
I checked the temps, they are fine. I tried removing stuff and then booting, but all the same. I've zeroes in on either the PSU or the mobo. The thing is, when its running fine, I can play all the games I want and it will work fine. That makes me wonder if its the PSU or not. But then again, if the mobo was faulty, do random shutdowns or not booting a few times make sense?
Please help me GAF.
I will be glad to answer any additional questions.
About 3-4 days ago, my PC automatically shut down without any warning..just BAM!
I tried to reboot it, but what happened was that it would try to reboot and then shutdown again after a few seconds. Sometimes after 2 seconds, sometimes after 5-10. And very rarely it will boot properly. Then while running it might shut down after 5-10 minutes or sometimes it just keeps running until the next time I get the same problem.
I checked the temps, they are fine. I tried removing stuff and then booting, but all the same. I've zeroes in on either the PSU or the mobo. The thing is, when its running fine, I can play all the games I want and it will work fine. That makes me wonder if its the PSU or not. But then again, if the mobo was faulty, do random shutdowns or not booting a few times make sense?
Please help me GAF.
I will be glad to answer any additional questions.
Alright GAF, all I'd like to do is run Starcraft 2 decently. Right now, I'm only getting 9 FPS on Low settings. (according to the in-game FPS counter or whatever) I need to know what parts I should get to achieve my goal.
Now, before you laugh at the machine I'm about to admit to owning, realize that it only cost me $200. This is what I have:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114084&Tpk=et1831-07
What do I need? (thanks for any help I may receive)
Now, before you laugh at the machine I'm about to admit to owning, realize that it only cost me $200. This is what I have:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114084&Tpk=et1831-07
What do I need? (thanks for any help I may receive)